After Knightfall
by The-Lady-Isis
Summary: Having just played through Arkham Knight, the ending inspired this. There will be MAJOR spoilers ahead for the game, and I crossed that universe over with JLU. It is of course BMWW


**A/N: This is a bit of a crossover. Having just played through Arkham Knight, the ending inspired this. There will be MAJOR spoilers ahead for the game, and I crossed that universe over with JLU. It is of course BMWW.**

* * *

 **After Knightfall**

The message from Alfred had taken neither of them by surprise, not after what the entire world had been watching for the last few, harrowing, hours. Superman and Wonder Woman immediately began enacting their part: emptying the Watchtower of any and all personnel. When this was all said and done, the two of them would be the only two people on Earth, outside Alfred and Batman, who knew the truth of what had happened. The task was done quickly and efficiently. As Batman took his last walk towards Wayne Manor, they were ready in the transporter room.

A few seconds later, they appeared.

Diana spoke first. "Bruce … I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say." He stepped off the transporter platform and brushed past the two of them without another word.

Diana let out a heartfelt sigh and turned her attention to their other guest. He was standing with much the same upright posture as always, only the tiniest of slumps to his spine. "Are you alright, Alfred?" Clark asked.

"Oh, as well as can be expected." He gave them a wan smile. "It was … quite a night."

"Would you like some tea?"

Somehow, Diana thought this was a situation tea couldn't fix, even for an Englishman. "A rather large brandy first, I think. Then perhaps some tea."

"Can do. Come on, it's this way."

Superman took Alfred towards the commisary, leaving Diana alone. She took a deep breath before she went looking for Batman- Bruce, now. Did she still refer to him as Batman? Well, whatever she called him, the reason she needed to find him was that he'd just undergone the most difficult experience of his adult life. He needed not to be alone right now. Regardless of how many words he took to tell her (in no uncertain terms, she was sure) to leave. She found him on the obersvatory deck, gazing out at the stars rather than the planet they were orbiting. Or rather, staring into literal space, his fists clenched and jaw set.

She decided to try and leave emotion aside for a moment. "Do you need medical attention?"

"Not urgently."

"And the toxin?"

"Cleansed."

"And-?" _The Joker?_

He snorted lightly, though it was not a sound of amusement. "Gone."

"So it's just …"

He turned as she trailed off for a second time. Under the harsh lights of the Watchtower, she was treated to exact detailing of the bruises and cuts on his face. The dark shadows beneath his too-bright eyes. She didn't want to even look at the damage done to his suit. The bullet mark on his chest was bad enough. "Just all the other things that added up to Hell? Yeah."

"Bruce, I'm so sorry."

"I don't want your pity."

"I'm not offering pity. I'm expressing sympathy for a friend. I don't pity you. If anything the overriding emotion I feel for you right now is fury."

He looked surprised, but also incredibly tired. As though to say: _Why not? Everyone else I love has yelled at me today._ "Is that right."

"Yes. This was your choice, Bruce. While those cirumstances were conspiring against you, while Scarecrow revealed your identity to the world and Robin was shot – through _all_ that, you had another choice. You could have asked for help."

He frowned, opening his mouth to say something, but Diana wasn't finished.

"Even if you didn't call the whole League – though, Hera knows, any sane person would have done – you knew that there are some of us who would have accepted any condition you had, if it meant that we could have aided you. You did not need to do this alone. That you have, that the Knightfall Protocol was implemented today, that was the choice _you_ made." Diana stopped herself, attempting to stifle the bitter tone that had slid into her words without her wanting it to. "None of that is why I'm furious with you, however. It may sound trite to you, especially now, but my _anger_ is because _you made me afraid_. Afraid I was going to lose you in a way I had never considered. A way you should have warned us about."

"My life is in danger every day, I hardly think I need your permission-"

"I'm not talking about your life, Bruce! Do you think I feel I have any right to dictate how you live, or how you die, if that's what you want to do? I could deal with just your death! That's not what almost happened tonight! Is it?"

"No," he replied quietly.

"No. What almost happened tonight was the total anhillilation of everything that you are. Everything you have ever been. And worse, because if that creature had won, he would have been violating your tomb. You would have been corrupted and utterly twisted. Even the _memory_ of you would have been poisoned. And _that_ I could not- could not-"

Angry and infuriated that her voice had failed her, she was the one to turn away now, trying to regulate her breathing when all her lungs wanted to do was to shudder and stutter out a series of sobs. She would never, ever forget that moment, on live television – not the unmasking of him, not the devastation of Batman's image – but the _eyes_. That toxic, alien green that had suddenly appeared, making one thing crucially clear: they had lost him. He was gone. Not dead, that would have been infinitely kinder, but _gone_ , as if he had never existed. A file erased and saved over, original content lost. Diana had felt the shock of it like taking a shotgun blast to her chest. She could no longer breathe. _How_ was such a thing possible? To learn that Bruce _knew_ it was possible and _still_ had not thought to warn any of them could only be described as a betrayal.

After a moment, she had strength to speak again. "My courage failed me. I was more afraid tonight than I have ever been."

She didn't hear him move, but his hand suddenly curled around her shoulder. "You don't have to be afraid anymore, Princess."

She looked at him again, scanning over his face. It had softened infinitely, and his body language was more relaxed than she ever remembered seeing it. "How can I believe you?" she murmured. "It's _you_ , Bruce. Seems like you never run out of ways to terrify me," she joked weakly.

He smiled, and shrugged, a gesture so _open_ it was breathtaking again, in an entirely new way. "I've got nothing left to conceal."

Well, that was true.

His other hand came to rest on her other shoulder, thumb stroking over her skin. "And that being the case, I'm about to take a liberty, if I may."

He leaned in and kissed her, a kiss more naked and more full of so many emotions that she'd never been able to imagine it being like this before. It wasn't rushed or hurried; he didn't kiss her as though he was desperate, or as though some dam had suddenly burst. Diana was the one who felt like that. After so long of _wanting_ , her heart felt ready to beat right out of her chest while adrenaline surged around her body. Her fingers scrabbled to find purchase on his armour, pausing when they found the bullet hole put there by Jim Gordon, but eventually closing around his biceps and pulling him closer. In no kind of rush, Bruce's hands had slid one into her hair and the other around the top of her back, between her shoulder blades. Long, blissful minutes passed as they memorised the taste of the other before he finally pulled away.

Diana gave a breathless smile. "You may."

He smirked. "Good to know."

"I'd suggest you might even take another liberty, but I think you need sleep more than you need that."

"Sleep? Don't think I've ever heard of that."

She smiled gently, with an edge of sadness. "That, I can easily believe. But I'll be happy to show you."

"I might need a demonstration."

She recognised the statement for what it was, an invitation for that second of liberties, and grinned. Maybe there was no harm in it. "I think I can manage that. We _both_ need showers before bed though."

He nodded, and they left the observatory hand in hand. Their quarters were next door to one another, and Bruce paused outside. "Five minutes?"

She nodded. "Five minutes."

It did only take five minutes until Diana had washed the stresses of the day off, but as things turned out, it was still five minutes too long. Bruce's door was not locked, and when she went in she saw he, too, had showered. Except then he'd made the mistake of sitting down – so was absolutely fast asleep. And absolutely naked. She felt a surge of affectionate desire at the sight of him in every inch of his glory, but knew it would be unfair to wake him. If anyone deserved rest, it was him. Smiling, she moved forward into the room to lay a blanket over him. He didn't stir, so she bent and kissed his lips once, as softly as she could. "Goodnight, sweet prince," she whispered.

She made her way to the commissary, finding Alfred and Clark in there still, though the two of them seemed to have nothing to talk about. Or too much, perhaps. She collected a cup of tea for herself from the hot beverage dispenser and joined them at the table. Alfred raised at eyebrow at her.

"He's sleeping," she said. "Like a baby, in fact."

"I have trouble picturing that," Superman muttered.

A second later, the urgent comms alert went off. Theoretically, only heads of state used that channel. In reality, it was probably some reporter who'd managed to get hold of the frequency, and was calling the Justice League to get their comment on Batman's demise. "I'll get it," Clark said, apparently grateful for the excuse to get away from whatever he couldn't say to Alfred. Within a second or two, the Englishman and Diana were alone.

"Are you alright, Alfred?" she asked. "With all this?"

"I must admit the Knightfall Protocol was not one I ever wished to see implemented. That beautiful old house gone, being dead to those we hold most dear … I am not happy, no. Yet the alternative is much worse. He is alive and well, and that is much consolation."

"What will happen to Dick and Tim now?"

"They will still be provided for. The company has been floated on the stock market, up for public ownership. Its shares will be sold and the proceeds will go directly to Master Richard and Master Timothy, thus securing their future."

"I see. Ingenious."

"Did you expect anything else?"

A smile curled her mouth. "Not at all."

"And they won't ever know ...?"

"No. It's the only way to ensure their safety."

Their eyes turned to the door, their thoughts to the sleeping Bruce.

"Did you find drugging him to be necessary, Your Highness?" Alfred asked impartially.

"No, actually. We talked …" She stopped and sighed. "No, we didn't talk. I yelled, I confessed why I was yelling, he kissed me, and then he fell asleep."

"I … see."

"Not what I had planned to do, by any means, I assure you."

Alfred sipped at his tea. "What had you planned, might I ask?"

"Be sympathetic. Be a confidante. Let him know I am always here and that Batman or no, he will always be a treasured friend."

"I am sure he could not be in any doubt of any of that. But I also do not think all of it is necessary. As you say, there is _no_ Batman now. The Knightfall Protocol has seen to that. No Batman, no Bruce Wayne, none of it exists anymore. Yes, it is and will be immensely difficult. But he's-"

"Free."

Alfred smiled and toasted her with his teacup. "Quite so."

"Are you?"

"Are you imagining I've been locked into some kind of indentured servitude?" Alfred asked, a little edge to his tone.

"Of course not. But none of it can have been easy. Especially given it was not your choice."

"It was my choice to stay."

"Was it? You love Bruce as your own, I know you do – could staying have ever been a choice, really? You can't walk away from someone you love, it isn't that simple. And unless Bruce made a deliberate effort to drive you away, I don't think you would ever leave him, not while he needed you."

"Very true. In any case, though, I will stay even now."

"I'm glad," Diana smiled.

"And you?" Alfred asked directly. "Will you stay with him?"

She looked down at her own cup, swirling the last bit of tea around in it. "Bruce once told me there were three reasons nothing romantic could happen between us. Two of those reasons no longer exist."

Alfred did not need to ask what those reasons might have been; he knew Bruce well enough to make a very well-educated guess. "Do you love him?"

That was a very personal question, and one she wouldn't have answered, had anyone else asked it. "I … don't know. Yet. But now there seems to be all the time in the world to find out."

"It still won't be easy."

She laughed, genuinely amused at the idea that anything to do with Bruce could ever be easy. "Nothing worth achieving ever is. Don't worry, Alfred, the idea of hard work has never scared me away yet."

"Good," he said simply. "And on that note, I think I shall be able to get some rest now."

"I'll show you to the guest quarters." She did so, and they said goodnight. As Diana turned away to go to her own bed, Alfred called back to her. "Your Highness, if you wouldn't mind …"

"Name it."

"Check on him? The Joker may be gone but there are still … other demons that might come haunting."

"Of course," she smiled.

"Thank you, my dear. Goodnight."

"Sleep well."

A moment later, she was once more in Bruce's quarters, and found him still slumbering. Not quite as peacefully: there was a small frown line between his eyebrows, which troubled her. She thought back to Alfred's question. _Did_ she love him? Her feelings for Bruce had always been very passionate. She certainly felt intense loyalty and desire towards him, and she wanted to see him happy. So yes, she loved him. But she was not _in_ love with him. She couldn't be – she needed truth, and Bruce had never let her close enough to see all of him. Diana was no fool; she understood his reasons, even if she was immensely frustrated by them. But still, those reasons had existed to keep Batman secure. Batman had died tonight, in the most public way possible. He would not suddenly _stop_ being a part of Bruce, but as he had proven earlier, he was intending to make an effort to let go. It was all Diana could do to do the same.

Feeling no shame, she undressed, stacking her armour neatly on a chair. That done, she slipped into bed with him. He finally stirred at the feeling of her skin next to his. " … Diana?"

"I'm here. If that's alright."

His arm came around her, heavy and warm. "S'alright … stay …"

She smiled and kissed him. "Go back to sleep, Bruce."

He clearly wanted to wake up, though, feeling the moment was too good to waste. He shifted slightly so that his lips could skim along her neck, trailing fire in their wake. Suddenly Diana, too, lost all thought of sleep, letting her hands smooth along the expanse of his back, running down to his ass- She didn't get there though. As her fingertips ghosted over a wound on his hip, Bruce couldn't hold back a hiss of pain. She stopped immediately, and their eyes met.

"Bruce … don't tell me it's nothing."

"No point?"

"None. You are a warrior, Bruce, there is no shame in a wound." She ran her fingers through the hair at his temple. "And we have time, don't we? For perhaps the first time. We have _time_."

He smiled warmly and dropped another kiss on her lips. "That's true."

"So sleep. Heal. And I promise I'll be here to make love to you once you have."

With a deep sigh, he laid back down in her arms. "And if I still insisted I'm not sleepy?"

"Then I would still insist that you _rest_ ," she smiled. "But I suppose we might keep our mouths busy while we rest."

He grinned, a white flash in the darkened room. "That I can do."

They tried more kissing, but the problem with that was no kissing stayed chaste for particularly long, and soon Diana was accidentally discovering more sore spots on Bruce's body. At his third poorly-hidden groan of pain, she pulled away, scooting to the other side of the bed. "Maybe we should try keeping our mouths busy with _words_."

Some wariness entered his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"What happens next?" she asked simply.

Bruce threaded their fingers together. "Blissful retirement."

"Where?"

"Well, there's this island …"

Diana smiled. End of the Batman or no, they were going to be just fine.

* * *

 **A/N: So there you go, all done. Short and hopefully sweet. In case anyone didn't get all that, during Arkham Knight, Bruce is fighting a psychological infection of the Joker and (temporarily) loses. In addition, he is unmasked to the world by Scarecrow, as well as a whole other mess of major crap that happens. If you complete the game, Batman enacts the Knighfall Protocal, which involves blowing up Wayne Manor with (ostensibly) he and Alfred inside in, in front of the world's press. I decided that Batman always has a plan, and he didn't die.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading!**


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